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Delhi unimpressed by Pakistani troop withdrawal

India on Monday refused to be impressed by Pakistan's withdrawal of troops from the International Border, and maintained that it was imperative for Islamabad to 'stop cross-border terrorism and transgression of the Line of Control' for any meaningful dialogue.

"The withdrawal is intended to be from the IB where Pakistani troops had amassed during the Kargil operation. All that is going to happen is that the troops from these locations will now go to their barracks,'' an official spokesman of the ministry of external affairs said.

"Attempts, however, at transgressing the LoC continue, of which Kargil was an extreme manifestation," he added.

Referring to General Pervez Musharraf's proposal for resuming dialogue with India, the spokesman said it is premature to say anything about a timeframe for that.

Pakistan has pursued sponsorship of terrorism in India as a matter of state policy and ''as yet we have seen no signs that this is abating. We will judge them by their actions in stopping cross-border terrorism and abandoning hostile propaganda,'' he said.

Earlier, a Pakistani army spokesman had said that troops had begun pulling out of the border positions, which they occupied during the Kargil operation.

About General Musharraf's comments on Kashmir, the Indian spokesman reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of the Indian Union, and that a part of the territory is under the illegal and forcible occupation of Pakistan.

Jammu and Kashmir is at the very core of India's nationhood. The people of the state have shown remarkable resilience and have not been cowed down by Pakistan's campaign of terrorism, he added.

UNI

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